Horse trainer Paul Nicholls had to eat words after ’embarrassing’ prediction
‘RELEASED’ Paul Nicholls had to eat his words after saying his 50-1 horse had absolutely no chance of winning.
The Ditcheat trainer spoke to Betfair’s Barry Orr about last Sunday’s Royal Ascot Racing Club Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Berkshire circuit.
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Nicholls was absolutely certain that Blueking D’Oroux had “no chance” of winning the 2 meter competition, worth just over £20,000 to the winner.
And he said stablemate Afadil, ridden by Harry Cobden, the Court’s No. 1 jockey, was a much safer bet.
The odds seemed to reflect this, with Blueking D’Oroux sending off a whopping 50-1 for the Class 2 competition.
Afadil, on the other hand, bounced 15-2 behind 5-1 favorites Arclight.
Before the race, Nicholls said, “Blueking D’Oroux, top weight, how he has a 127 grade is beyond me.
“He wouldn’t be in a street from Afadil but the handicapper gave him 127 even though he ran normally for us.
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“Basically, he doesn’t stand a chance.
“He needs to come to a more realistic mark and gain some experience for next season.”
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However, racing can make anyone a fool and Nicholls had to swallow his words and 5lb contender Angus Cheleda jumped up the hill on the four-year-old gelding.
Amazingly, he finished two lengths ahead of Afadil and completed a bonkers 1-2 for Nicholls.
Speaking to Betfair on Monday, an embarrassed Nicholls admitted: “Talk about embarrassment after my update on Friday when I said Blueking D’Oroux had no chance to beat Afadil!
“It just shows what a wind operation can do for a horse.
“He galloped beautifully, was strong to the line and we are very happy with that.
“It just shows as much as we think we know that you can never be sure – or how much wind surgery can do to a horse!”
Victorious owner Johnny de la Hey said: “To be honest we thought he was badly handicapped from 127 but I didn’t think he was a 50-1 shot. That was pretty crazy.”
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https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/10463616/paul-nicholls-embarrassing-prediction/ Horse trainer Paul Nicholls had to eat words after ’embarrassing’ prediction
